Bottle cap remover



y 2, 1950 A. L. GREY 2,506,450

BOTTLE CAP REMOVER Filed April 22, 1946 INVENTOR. ALAN L. G'KEY.

A TLQE 5) Patented May 2, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOTTLE CAP REMOVER Alan L. Grey, New York, N. Y.

Application April 22, 1946, Serial No. 663,888

1 Claim. 1

The present invention relates to a device for removing caps from bottles and for holding such caps magnetically.

It is usual, in connection with the dispensing of soft drinks, to provide some means for removing the bottle caps from the bottles containing the soft drinks. Such means commonly takes the form of a simple bracket attached to the dispenser or adjacent the attendant. The use of hand bottle openers is, of course, equally conventional. In either case, the removed caps soon litter the ground or floor not only presenting an untidy and unattractive appearance, but rendering it necessary for them to be swept up or removed eventually. In times of metal shortage, it may be desired to save such caps for reconditioning and re-use but the practices referred to above make this inconvenient or impracticable.

It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide a simple device which overcomes the objectionable features of prior practices and which makes it easy and convenient to collect the removed caps without tedious labor.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combination cap remover and cap holder or collector which can be hung or attached wherever desired or convenient.

A further object of the invention resides in an inexpensive bottle cap remover containing a magnet for holding removed caps by magnetic attraction.

Other objects of the invention reside in the structural elements and combinations hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 illustrates, in perspective, a device responding to the present invention and showing its manner of use.

Fig. 2 is a face elevation of Fig. 1

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a rear elevational view with the rear wall partly broken away to expose the underlying parts.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral l designates a back wall of fiat, thin metal or other suitable material which is provided with one or more apertured ears II by means of which the device may be hung on a hook, nail or other fixed instrumentality. As shown, two spaced vertical apertured ears II are preferred. Back wall I0 is also provided with an aperture centrally disposed at top and bottom, as indicated at l2, for a purpose to be hereinafter explained.

The front wall I3 is constructed as shown best in Figs. 1 and 3. This front wall forms an enclosure which is adapted to be secured to back wall ID by screw l4 which passes through apertures I 2 in back wall In and through inturned apertured ears l5 at the rear of front wall l3. The to wall portion l6 projects forwardly beyond the end of bottom wall portion I! to form an overhang of rounded shape [8 connected to the front wall section proper l9 by a concavely curved portion 20. An opener element 2| having a slightly rearwardly angled edge 22, is disposed through slots in portion l8 and this element coacts with the concave portion 20 to constitute an effective bottle cap remover, as shown by the bottle 23 and cap 24 of Figs. 1 and 3. Side walls 25 complete the device, except for magnet 26 which is located just behind front wall section proper l9 and which is held in place by lugs 21 projecting inwardly from side walls 25. While magnet 26 is shown as disc-shaped, it ma be of any other suitable shape, as will be appreciated. It may be a permanent magnet of any of the usual magnet irons or steels, or it may be an electro-magnet, as will be understood.

Front wall l3 and, in particular, section I9 thereof is composed of any material through which the magnet may act and, therefore, must not be of a material which would act as a shield or insulator for the magnetic lines of force. The bottle cap 24 or 24 (which latter represents a bottle cap magnetically retained in accordance with the invention) should, of course, be of a material which is capable of being held by magnetic attraction.

The mode of operation will be clear from the drawing taken in connection with the foregoing description. Bottles are opened in the usual manner but the loosened cap is attracted to and held by the magnet until, after several caps accumulate, they are manually detached and placed in a container. The area of the front wall and magnet is large as compared to a bottle cap and consequently a number of caps can be effectively retained magnetically.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

In a bottle cap remover wherein means are provided for magnetically holding a removed bottle cap, a back wall having means to facilitate its being hung on a wall or other vertical support, a top wall secured to said rear wall and extending horizontally forwardly therefrom and reentrantly bent to extend horizontally back towards said rear wall to form an overhang of rounded shape, said overhang merging by a rounded fillet into a downwardly extending front wall which is spaced apart from said rear wall to form therewith an enclosure for a permanent magnet, a lip element having a rearwardly angled free edge extending downwardly a relative short distance from said overhang to coact with said front wall to engage a bottle cap while the bottle is bein manipulated to remove the cap, and a permanent magnet within the enclosure and secured against the front wall thereof, said magnet serving to retain the removed cap for subsequent manual removal. v

ALAN L. GREY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,511,522 Rolsky Oct. 14, 1924 1,610,437 Frick Dec. 14, 1926 1,975,472 Mosgrove Oct. 2, 1934 2,116,306 Dziembowski May 3, 1938 

